Birthdays: Theodore Dreiser (1871), C.S. Forester (1899), Ira Levin (1929), William Least Heat-Moon (1939), Lisa Yee (1959), Suzy Cline (1943), Ann Rinaldi (1934), Sarah Stewart (1938), Antonia Fraser (1932), Jeanette Winterson (1959), Jill Lepore (1966)

Tip: Learn about singular, plural, and possessive nouns: The cat scratched at the door (singular). Three cats showed up on our porch (plural). She was playing with the cat’s toy (single possessive). She was playing with the cats’ toys (plural possessive).

Thought for the day: “The clue to book jacket photography is to look friendly and approachable, but not too glamorous.” – Antonia Fraser

Jumpstart: It’s the future and everyone has a “gem” embedded in their wrist. It monitors your movements, your health, everything about you. Green is perfect; yellow is a problem; red is serious. Yours suddenly turns black…